Friendship
by StarlightSpook
Summary: Zoe has a personal probelm on an op. inspired by a The Grid challange


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Title: Friendship

Author: Starlight

Rating: US - PG-13 / UK -12 (Contains mild language and topics not suitable for younger audiences)

Main Characters: Tom Quinn, Zoë Reynolds, Danny Hunter

Summery: Zoë has a hard time when the team is put on a last minute surveillance op.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, BBC ect. owns them. Story is mine.

Spoilers: No particular ones. Just have to know it's after Tessa's gone, Christine Dale's met, Tom meets Ellie and Zoë and Danny move in together.

Notes: Well, I've read many fanfics in the X-Files fandom about Scully and her unique problems as a woman, and I decided to do one with the [ spooks ] team. This is a reply to the challenge posted on the [The Grid] Yahoo! Group.

Big shout out to my wonderful Beta-Reader Leah! 

Oh and PLEASE!! Send feedback. 

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Zoë and Danny's flat

Zoë woke up feeling like she had a hangover. She glanced over to the alarm clock on the bedside table which read 7:54am. 

*SHIT* 

They were going to be so late. Zoë rushed out of her bedroom and banged on the door to Danny's room.

"Danny, get up, we're going to be late"

Zoë ran back into her bedroom to get some clothes. While Danny stumbled out of his room. 

"What time is it?" said Danny sleepily.

"Nearly 8am"

"What?! Why didn't you wake me?"

"Why didn't you wake yourself?" Zoë retorted as she stepped over the evidence of last night's party to get to the bathroom. Tom, Danny and herself had just aided in the capture of some IRA terrorists and decided to celebrate with a quick drink, or not so quick drink as the case may have been.

"I call the bathroom" Danny said heading back into his room.

"What are you, ten years old!?" Zoë said before locking the bathroom door.

The Grid

"If there's no questions you may go" Harry finished

They had just been briefed on the surveillance operation that they were being sent on. A known Islamic terrorist group had set up shop in an isolated, rural cottage. Danny, Tom and herself had to handle the first twenty-four hours of surveillance until the team that had been covering the groups old hide-out could make it to the location. This was turning out to be a day from hell, first being late, and then having Harry give them a lecture about punctuality, then a stakeout, plus the fact that all morning her stomach had been killing her, along with her head. The team followed Harry out.

"Ok, Danny you go get the kits, I'll get the details from Helen, and Zoë…go take something for the hangover and put on some make-up, you look like your going to drop down dead" Tom ordered.

Zoë headed off to the ladies mentally cursing Tom Quinn, he must have had at least as much as she had to drink, if not more, how could he look so perky?! 

Zoë entered the ladies toilets and headed into one of the stalls. As she pulled down her underwear she noticed a reddish-brown stain. 

*Just Great* Zoë thought sarcastically. 

Now she had to go to her locker, hope that she still had some tampons from last month left and come back, then sit in a cramped car for twenty-four hours.

*Perfect!*

Just then she heard someone enter the toilets. That someone was quietly singing, in an American accent.

"Christine, Is that you?"

"Zoë?"

"Yeah, I…don't suppose you happen to have a tampon on you do you?"

There was a moment of silence

"Here, will this do?"

A small, wrapped package was slipped under the stall door. 

"Thanks"

Zoë finished up her business, sorted out her problem and opened the door.

"You know, you should always keep something on you" Christine said as Zoë approached the sink

"Yeah, I usually keep some tampons in my locker, but I didn't realise I was due today, there probably isn't any left anyway. Thanks again"

"No problem"

Zoë walked out and headed off to find her team. She found Danny with Helen.

"Where's Tom?"

"Calling Ellie" said Danny

"Zoë, The king of the grid wants you in his office, ASAP" said Malcolm as he walked past.

Zoë shared a look of dread with Danny and made her way over to his office, conscious of not only Danny's, Helen's and Malcolm's eyes on her but Harry's as she crossed the grid to his office. She paused for a few seconds outside his door then knocked.

"Come in"

"Sir?"

"I do not expect my officers to come in hung over, and I definitely don't expect them late. I'll overlook it this time, but if it happens again appropriate action will be taken. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Sir"

"You may go"

Zoë got out of there as fast as she could and ignoring the looks she got from Danny and company. Headed over to the lockers. On top of her locker was a brown paper bag. She took it down and glanced inside. It contained a dozen or so sanitary towels identical to the one Christine Dale had given her earlier. 

*I'm so going to have to be nicer to her*

Inside her locker she pulled out her already packed backpack and shoved the brown paper bag inside, just as she thought, there was no sign of tampons in her bag or the locker. 

*Just as well Christine did that then* She thought as she closed up the locker and headed off to join Danny.

** Surveillance Location**

"This is it" Tom said pulling off the road into a small grassy area.

"Might as well get comfy" Danny said as he turned on the radio.

Tom started setting up the equipment and Danny slid down into his seat to sleep.

Three Hours Later

"Uh…guys…I'm just going to…stretch my legs for a while"

Zoë reached for the door handle, Tom's hand reached back and grabbed hers.

"Can't let you do that, Zoë. No movement until nightfall at least" Tom said.

She began to panic in her head. Nightfall was at least eight hours away, there was no way her pad would hold out that long.

"Tom, I've got to go to the toilet" 

*If you can call a hole in the ground a toilet* Zoë thought.

"Sorry, but no one leaves this car till after dark, understood?" She nodded "Here use this" Tom said passing over the field issue adult travel potty, which was a collection bottle with a unisex attachment on it. Zoë took it.

"I…I can't…not while…" Zoë stammered

"Zoë!" Tom said angrily "You've done it before. Danny and I will just face the other way"

She had done it before but that wasn't the point. It had not been 'that' time of the month and she didn't need to change anything then. Zoë knew only to well that they could still see her reflection in the windscreen and they'd hear every sound. She just couldn't bring herself to change her pad in front of them. 

*I'm wearing black trousers. It wouldn't show much if I leaked a bit*

She'd just have to wait till nightfall and hope she didn't leak too much. Feeling the pressure in her bladder she decided to use the travel potty anyway. She scooted behind Tom's seat to give her some cover and made sure her trousers and knickers only went down enough so she could use the device. She did her business then removed the attachment and sealed the bottle, before stowing it under the seat.

"I'm done" she said to the guys.

Zoë settled back in her seat and waited.

One Hour Later

"Tom, I really have to go outside"

"We are not jeopardising the op just because you feel uncomfortable, got it!"

Two Hours Later

Zoë felt like shit. Every time she moved she could feel the dampness and her cramps were getting worse. She'd reached the point that either she was let out of the car or she'd do what she had to do here, even with her audience. She looked around. Danny was asleep and Tom was reading the paper they'd picked up this morning, not paying attention to her, she decided to see how much she'd leaked. She shifted up a bit and pretended to stretch, while at the same time looking at the grey seat beneath her. Luckily there was only a small mark on the seat, but she knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. Danny yawed as he awoke in the front. Zoë made up her mind.

"Tom, Danny?"

"Yeah" Danny said turning around.

"Uh…can you keep facing front for a minute I need to…"

"You can't need to piss again!" Tom yelled.

"For you information, I need to change my sanitary towel!"

"Oh" said Tom looking guilty and embarrassed.

Zoë scooted back behind Tom's seat and yanked down her trousers and underwear.

Danny glanced back for a moment and saw her stained knickers.

*She must have had to change for a while now* He thought to himself.

Then it all made sense, her urgency to leave the car, the fidgeting. Oh Shit. He had a lot of apologizing to do later, he should have known.

Tom and Danny both heard the sanitary towel being ripped off and the zip of Zoë's backpack being opened to get the new one. After she'd finished they sat in silence.

"Zoë, I'm…"

"I don't care, Tom"

She had never felt so humiliated and degraded in her life. All during training they had been told they'd always be given enough privacy to deal with 'monthly problems', now she knew that was a load of bullshit.

Five Hours later

Tom had finally announced that it was clear to leave the car. Zoë practically hit her head in her haste to get out. She grabbed her backpack and went into the woods.

"Pass me the potty. I'll go have a chat with her" Danny quietly said.

Tom passed the object over and nodded.

It was pretty easy to follow Zoë now she had put her torch on, but Danny knew where she was heading anyway.

"Zo

"Go away Danny"

Zoë was standing in the clearing where Tom had dug the toilet pit earlier. She had obviously just changed her 'thing' again and it looked like she had changed her underwear as well. She was currently disposing of the used stuff into the toilet pit. He stepped forward.

"I'm so sorry Zo, I didn't think…Look, I know it's hard, but you couldn't have left anyway"

"You don't know anything!"

Zoë looked like she was going to cry. 

"I was so humiliated. I didn't want you two to…, but…" She started sobbing.

*Damn these hormones* Zoë thought.

Danny went over and hugged her to him, whispering soothing words as if she where a child.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"That's okay. You know Tom and I don't think any less of you. It's natural, you should have told us."

"What 'Guys, I'm on the rag and need to change'?" Zoë smiled

"I wouldn't have put it quite like that" Danny replied with a grin.

Danny got up and emptied the potty, then motioned to Zoë to begin walking back. He was shocked when his flashlight hit her noticeably wet trousers.

"Um…Zoë?"

"What? The trousers?"

"Yeah"

"I haven't got a spare pair; it will just have to wait"

"Here" said Danny taking off his jacket "Tie this round you"

"Thanks"

They made their way back to the car. Tom didn't look over until both Danny and Zoë had slid into their seats.

"Zoë, I'm really sorry for earlier, it's just that…" Tom started.

"Tom, it's ok, you don't need to apologise. Now let's just forget it"

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Who wants some cookies?" Danny said pulling out a packet from his bag.

Tom and Zoë happily dug in and by the time the original team came to replace them everything was forgotten.

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The End


End file.
